Study guide
2.7 Integrating Information and Interpreting Graphics
ATI TEAS 7 Nursing Admission
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1 Introduction to the ATI TEAS 7
1.1 About the ATI TEAS 7 Exam 1.2 Content Area Breakdown 1.3 Scoring and Program Requirements 1.4 Building Your TEAS Study Plan
2 Reading
2.1 Identifying the Main Idea 2.2 Making Inferences and Drawing Conclusions 2.3 Summarizing and Paraphrasing 2.4 Understanding Text Structure 2.5 Author's Purpose, Tone, and Point of View 2.6 Evaluating Arguments, Evidence, and Credibility 2.7 Integrating Information and Interpreting Graphics 2.8 TEAS Reading Strategies, Pacing, and Practice
3 Mathematics
3.1 Whole Numbers and Basic Operations 3.2 Fractions 3.3 Decimals and Percentages 3.4 Ratios and Proportions 3.5 Algebra and Equations 3.6 Measurement and Unit Conversions 3.7 Statistics and Data Interpretation 3.8 Geometry Basics
4 Science
4.1 The Cardiovascular System 4.2 The Respiratory System 4.3 The Digestive System 4.4 The Nervous System 4.5 The Musculoskeletal System 4.6 The Urinary and Reproductive Systems 4.7 Cell Biology and Genetics 4.8 Chemistry Basics 4.9 Scientific Reasoning and the Scientific Method
5 English & Language Usage
5.1 Grammar and the Parts of Speech 5.2 Sentence Structure 5.3 Punctuation 5.4 Spelling and Word Usage 5.5 Vocabulary in Context and Word Parts 5.6 Paragraph Organization and the Writing Process 5.7 Formal vs. Informal Language, Audience, and Tone 5.8 TEAS English Section Strategies and Pacing
2.7 Integrating Information and Interpreting Graphics
Key Takeaways Explain This Topic AI
Integration means combining text with other texts or with graphics to reach a conclusion neither source states alone.
Read graphics in a fixed order: title, axis or column labels, units, the legend, then the data trend.
A legend (key) explains what colors, lines, or symbols represent—always check it before reading a multi-series chart.
Following multi-step directions requires doing each step in order and respecting conditional words like 'if,' 'unless,' and 'before.'
When a passage and a table disagree, re-read both carefully—usually the apparent conflict comes from a missed label, unit, or qualifier.
Last updated: October 2026
What Integration Means
Hard questions can require more than one sentence. Integration of Knowledge and Ideas (15 scored questions) can pair a passage with a second source—another paragraph, a table, a graph, a map, or a labeled diagram—and asks for a conclusion that neither source states by itself. This mirrors nursing, where you combine a patient's chart, lab printout, and medication guide before acting.
- Skill Meaning Quick example
- Compare Find what sources share Both recommend at-least 20 seconds of handwashing
- Contrast Find where they differ One says 20 seconds, another says 30
- Synthesize Build a new conclusion from both "20–30 seconds appears effective across settings"
- Reconcile Explain an apparent conflict The studies used different patient populations
- A Disciplined Way to Read Any Graphic
Most integration errors come from reading the data before reading the labels . Use this fixed five-step order for every chart, table, map, or diagram:
Title — What is this graphic about?
Labels — What does each axis (graph) or column/row header (table) measure?
Units — Percent? Milligrams? Years? Patients? Units change everything.
Legend (key) — What do the colors, line styles, or symbols stand for?
Data & trend — Only now read the values, looking for the overall direction (rising, falling, flat) and any outliers.
Graphic Types You May See
- Graphic What it shows Watch out for
- Bar / column chart Compares categories Truncated axes that exaggerate gaps
- Line graph Change over time Multiple lines—check the legend
- Pie chart Parts of a whole Slices should sum to 100%
- Table Exact values in rows/columns Reading the wrong row or column
- Map Spatial / geographic data A scale and a legend for shading
- Diagram Structure or process steps Arrows showing direction or sequence
- Reading a Small Data Set
Consider this table of handwashing compliance on a hospital unit over three quarters.
- Quarter Day shift compliance Night shift compliance
- Q1 72% 60%
- Q2 80% 66%
- Q3 88% 70%
Applying the five-step read: the title is compliance over time; the labels are two shifts; the units are percentages; the legend distinguishes day from night; the trend is that both shifts improved, but night shift stayed consistently lower. A correct integration statement might be: "Compliance rose every quarter for both shifts, yet night shift trailed day shift by 12–18 percentage points throughout." Notice that this conclusion uses both columns—neither column alone tells the whole story.
Following Multi-Step Directions
The TEAS also tests whether you can follow directions exactly—a skill that maps directly to administering medication or running a protocol. The rules:
Do the steps in the order given ; do not jump ahead.
Honor conditional words : if, unless, except, before, after, only when .
Watch for negatives ("do not proceed until…").
Re-read the final step to confirm you produced what was asked for.
Example: "Record the patient's temperature. If it is above 100.4 °F, notify the charge nurse before giving any medication. Otherwise, document the reading and continue." A temperature of 99.1 °F means you skip the notification and go straight to documenting—because the condition ("above 100.4") was not met. Misreading the conditional would create a needless interruption.
Reconciling Conflicting Sources
When a passage and a graphic seem to contradict each other, do not assume one is wrong. Most apparent conflicts dissolve once you:
Re-check the units (a passage in milligrams, a chart in grams).
Re-check the labels (you read the wrong row or series).
Check the time frame or population (different years, different patients).
Look for a qualifier you skipped ("among adults," "per shift").
If a genuine conflict remains, weigh the more credible, more current source.
- Worked Example
- Passage: "The unit launched a new handwashing campaign at the start of Q2."
Table: the compliance table above.
Step 1 — Read each source: The passage gives a timed event (campaign began Q2); the table gives compliance figures by quarter and shift.
Step 2 — Connect them: Compliance was already climbing from Q1 to Q2, then kept rising into Q3 after the campaign.
Step 3 — Synthesize carefully: A supported statement is "Compliance continued to improve after the Q2 campaign." An unsupported leap is "The campaign caused the improvement"—the data can't separate the campaign from the rising trend that started before it. Choosing the supported statement over the tempting causal one is exactly what integration questions reward.